A Hopeless Romantic
by LittleRockLeeLover
Summary: The only thing Gaara knows about love is from what he's read in fairy tales and adult novels which has left him very picky. Will he be able to get over his resent break up and be able to except someone new, flaws and all? *Rated for future chapters!*  **Writing style under renovation, possible edits to old chapters could happen**
1. Broken

**Title: A Hopeless Romantic**

**Couple: GaaxLee**

**Summery: The only thing Gaara knows about love is from what he's read in fairy tales and adult novels which has left him very picky. Will he be able to get over his resent break up and be able to except someone new, flaws and all?**

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**Chapter 1 - **

Gaara stood behind his desk, facing the wall of windows that allowed him to over see his entire village. Though this usually made him feel proud, nothing could raise his spirits from the slum he was currently in. His heart was freshly broken and he could not bring himself to admit to his siblings the pain he was truly in. Temari had been trying her hardest to try and learn the details and give comfort, but He just kept pushing her away. In times like these he turned back into his old self, tell no one anything and let no weakness show. Only now did he let his guard down alone in his office.

Tears started to roll down his cheeks as the thoughts of Riku filled his mind. They were only together for 3 months, but Gaara had quickly grown attached to him.

"I should of known it wouldn't work, we were too far apart from each other . . ." He whispered

This was true, Riku was a representative of the Water Village, the bulk of their relationship was done through phone calls. Gaara hated the distance, but couldn't help falling for him, he reminded him of the hero in a novel he had read. The great Alejando, who would not let one thing get between him and victory, or his love.

There was then a knock on the door.

"Gaara-sama, it's Temari, may I come it?"

" . . .Yes." He answered after wiping his eyes.

Temari entered the room and walked up to his desk, Gaara stayed still, keeping his back to her. She stood there a minute, waiting to see if he would turn to face her. When she saw he was staying put, she began speaking.

"Gaara, we need to talk."

"We have nothing to discuss, Temari."

"You know damn right we have something to talk about. You can't push me away Gaara, you need to start talking about your breakup before you snap like you would when you were younger."

"First of all, I don't have to tell you anything if I don't want to. And secondly, I am in much better control of my emotions now that Shukaku is gone, you know that."

Temari winced, even after all these year, that subject, that name, was still taboo.

"But Gaara, demon or not, it's not healthy to bottle emotions. You have a very important job and you need to be in top mental condition in order to make proper choices for this village. Talking about things will help you work through this much faster!"

"I don't need any help Temari!"

"Yes you do, Gaara! Which is why I took the liberty to planning a vacation-"

"I'm not going."

"You don't have a choice. I've already cancelled all your appointments for the next week and booked everything."

"You can't make me go."

"Gaara, please, Kankuro and me are worried about you. We just want you to be happy, that's why we set this up for you. If we get you out of this place for a little bit where less stuff will make you think of him you'll start feeling better in no time. Please Gaara, if not for you, then do this for me, for Kankuro, for everyone in the village."

Gaara remained silent, Temari sighed and turned towards the door. As she reached for the handle, he spoke.

"Temari . . ." He turned his head to look at her "I'll come if it really means that much."

"Thank you, Gaara, you have no idea how happy that makes me."

Temari opened the door and exited his office, just before she closed the door she said one last thing.

"By the way, you can't lie to me about how upset you are, your eyeliner is smeared all over your face."

Gaara's eyes widened slightly as he reached for the mirror in his desk. Temari heard him curse as she shut the door and walked away.

"So, did he go for it?" Kankuro asked

"Mhmm, pack your bags were leaving tomorrow."

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**I thought I'd lighten the mood a bit at the end x3**

**Hope you liked, I'll get right to work on the second chapter!**

**Love Ali**

**AN: 9/25/2012 - I would just like so say, after reading up more of Gaara and reading a very _veerryy _good fanfiction, I know my story is lacking a lot, especially in Gaara's character. Because, regardless of having Shukaku still or not, Gaara has a hard, difficult, and painful life. So, these first few chapters I'm not really going to change, but after chapter 4 (Breathe) I'm going to try and tap into that emotional trauma more to make this a bit more realistic. Because, lets be honest, yes, we love the sappy, cute, lovey stuff, but if there is a poor build up and the people are ooc, it's just not as good.  
**

**And if anyone is wondering, the good fanfiction I've been reading is 'Diplomatic Relations' by Maldoror. (Google it, it's on a livejournal account)  
**

**It is not only the best GaaLee fanfic I've ever read, it's the best Naruto FanFic I've ever read. Realistic time frame, all characters hold true to their personalities, and given the fact this story is dated 2005-2006 (yeah, old) this author uses pretty must every scene Gaara has ever been in as references and, omg, just read it. It's fantastic.  
**

**Okay, that's enough promotion and self pity. Read that story, but don't think mine is total poop after xP  
**


	2. Papa Paparazzi

**OMG CHAPTER 2!**

**Sorry I know I said I WOULD NOT be the kind of writer that didn't update regularly, but, life happens.**

**On school vacation now tho, so I have no excuses xD**

**So, enjoy!

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**Chapter 2-**

Gaara stared out the bus window blankly. The ride had been much longer than he expected and he was regretting leaving his book in the bag that was stuffed in the outside compartments of the bus. He had no one to talk to either because Temari had fallen asleep and Kankuro had moved a few seats away and was trying to flirt with some random girl. Blond, large chest, small waist, the usual type he went for. Gaara sighed in disgust, he really needed to talk some sense into his brother, not all women were his personal sex toys. But, at least Gaara was gay, so, he didn't have to deal with the awkwardness of trying to get a date when all the girl in the Sand village have already slept with his brother.

His mind continued to wonder, from his brother's sex addiction, to dating, to old boyfriends, to Riku. Gaara hated how his thoughts always went back to him, why did he have to fall for his so fast? Why did he even start liking Riku? Why did Riku ever like him? Did he only like him because of his status? Was it all just a trick to get him in bed? Was that why he dumped him? Was it cause he was too far to fuck him when ever he felt like it?

All these questions started swimming around in his head. He came back to reality when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see Temari standing there.

"Oh my god Gaara, I've only said your name about 10 times. We have arrived in Konoha!" She said

Gaara looked back at the window to see they had indeed stopped. He rose to his feet

and followed Temari off the bus. As he waited for the driver to pull his bag from the side compartment of the bus he took a moment to take in the scenery. He had to admit, Konoha was quite beautiful this time of year. It was warm, but there was a light breeze blowing, keeping it comfortable and spreading the sweet scent of Spring. The trees were full of new leaves, the flowers were in full bloom, and the grass was bright green. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, the sun was bright, and there were a few white, fluffy clouds.

_"Maybe this vacation wasn't such a bad idea" _Gaara thought.

"Come on Gaara!" Kankuro called

Gaara turned just in time to nearly get knocked over by his bag that his brother threw at him. Luckily he caught it and his balance.

"A little warning next time?" Gaara said, giving his brother a glare

"Hey, not my fault you keep zoning out."

Gaara rolled his eyes and followed his siblings down the street. It was a short walk from the bus station to their hotel. Though they hadn't been spotted on the street, once the 3 entered the hotel lobby they were surrounded by paparazzi. Temari and Kankuro grabbed Gaara by his arms and pulled him through the crowd, into the elevator and to their room. Once there, Temari quickly locked the door.

"God damn it! I specifically told them NOT to disclose when we were arriving to the public!" Temari ranted "Can't we have one fucking day that doesn't involve being stalked by camera men and reporters?"

"Would you relax Temmy? They would of figured out our location within 24 hours anyway. Plus, you know chains like this, all they want is money. They probably figured they'd get some extra publicity leaking our check in time." Kankuro said

"I know, but it still pisses me off! And I'm not in the mood for your little pet names right now! Besides, I hate that one anyway."

"It's okay Temari, I honestly don't even care about the reporters anymore." Gaara stated

"But, I wanted for you to be able to relax on this trip. And having camera's in your face isn't the most relaxing thing."

"I said I don't even care anymore. As long as I look presentable and I can still get to where I'm going, they can snap as many pictures as they want of me."

Temari was still upset about the reporters, but she dropped the subject knowing that once Gaara said his opinion the conversation was over. So she grabbed her bags and brought them into one of the rooms. Gaara went to do the same, but before he even made it half way across the floor Kankuro hurried past his and ran into the room he was heading for.

"Um, I kinda wanted that one ya know!" Gaara yelled heading for the last open room.

"Sorry bro." Kankuro said, sticking his head out the door. "But I'm gonna be seeing that babe on the bus later tonight. I need the better room for- heh, well ya know."

"Pig." Gaara said in disgust.

"Hey, don't be jealous cause I'm getting some and you ain't no more."

Gaara was about to yell back when a shoe came flying from across the room and hit Kankuro in the face. Kankuro dropped to the ground, swearing his head off. Temari came rushing out from her room and grabbed her brother off the floor by his collar.

"Why do you have to be such a dick?" She yelled in his face

"Me? You're the one who just threw a shoe at my face!"

"Don't be a smart ass! You know damn right you deserved it!"

"Deserved it? For what!"

"He saying such an assholeish thing to Gaara! You know he's still torn up about Riku and you have to make a statement like that to him!"

"ASSHOLEISH ISN'T A WORD YOU IDIOT!"

"OH! NOW YOU'RE THE SMART ONE, MR. FAILED ENGLISH 3 TIMES IN A ROW!"

Gaara just sighed and went to his room. He shut the door, muffling their yelling more then he expected. He placed his stuff on the bed and went over to the window. He open the curtains and looked down at the street. Some people were gathered outside, security was trying to keep them out the best they could. He stood there staring out at the city till he heard some doors slam shut.

_"They're done bitching, finally." _He thought.

It may have been midday, but Gaara was already exhausted, so he pulled the curtains back closed, unpacked his nightwear and fell asleep.

**

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Chapter 2, COMPLETE!**

**Kind of a filler chapter, but hey, it's an update.**

**Besides, I'm sure reading about all the Sand-Siblings childish bickering was entertaining!**

**I know it was entertaining to write xD**

**So yeah, enjoy!**


	3. Celebrity Status

**Hello all, time for chapter 3!**

**(I didn't plan for it to be this long o.o )  
**

**Hope you all like!**

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_'She was wearing her finest dress, making what was already angelic beauty radiate even more in the dim moonlight. The gown's strapless, corset top was tight against her chest, it's light blue fabric glittered slightly. The thick band that separated the corset from the skirt portion was edged with white lace and embroidered with sequences. The skirt, made with the same color fabric as the top, reached to the ground with many layers of white lace and fabric peaking out from beneath with intricate patterns sewn into it with silver thread. In short, the dress was simply beautiful._

_ Riku thought, found the wearing of this amazing outfit by far more gorgeous. She had her back to him, letting him admire the tousled looked of her fiery red hair. He longed to touch this angel and slowly began to walk towards her. She hear the sounds of his approaching footsteps and turned around quickly, startled. Her shocked face relaxed immediately when she saw his face in the moonlight._

_ "Riku . . ." She said, a smile formed on her face._

_ "Gaara . . ." He said back to her._

_ Gaara grabbed the skirt of her gown and quickly closed the gap between them, at the last moment she released her skirt and flung her arms around her love. Riku gladly accepted the embrace and put his arms tightly around her waist. Gaara looked up at him, his brown hair seemed jet black, but she liked it. His emerald green eyes stared deep into her teal ones. It had been forever since she has seen them, their beauty put the moon she had just been admiring to shame._

_ "You look absolutely breath-taking." Riku whispered_

_ Gaara blushed, and shyly looked down. Riku put a hand on her chin and pulled her face back up to look at him. He smiled at her and leaned closer, leaving only centimeters between their lips; Gaara could barely resist the urge to close the gap between them._

_ ". . . I . . . I want to kiss you." Riku stated, being straight forward like always._

_ Gaara turned a shade of red nearly as bright as her hair, but she used her courage and put on a coy smile._

_ "Well, what's stopping you?" She asked in a flirtatious tone._

_ "Good question." Riku replied._

_ He then leaned forward and kis-_

SLAM!

Gaara was awoken by the feeling of his head smashing against the hard wooden floor of the hotel. He grabbed his head and curse loudly as the pain gave him an instant headache. He slowly opened one eye to see Temari standing over him.

"What the fuck was that for?" Gaara yelled

"You fell asleep early yesterday and it's almost 10 am now!" She yelled back, pointing to the clock on the floor that fell with him.

"I thought on vacation you were suppose to relax." He said at a normal volume.

"There's a difference between relaxing and being a lazy ass! And don't think I'm picking on you either, I'm about to throw Kankuro and his little tramp out of bed too."

"Ya know Temari, you could always just use your words or gentle shake someone awake. Hell, a bucket of cold water is more plesant then this." He said at he sat up.

"Where's the fun in that?" She asked before leaving his room

Gaara sighed and slowly got to his feet. Since he already had a pounding headache he wasn't in the mood for making choices. So he simply put on the first things he grabbed out of his bag which happened to be a pair black skinny jeans, a red dress shirt (Left partially unbuttoned so you could see his white undershirt), and a pair of black and white checkered flats. He didn't bother to fix his hair, it was always wild anyway. He just went into the bathroom to take some aspirin and see if he needed any eyeliner. Thankfully, he didn't, he wasn't in the mood to do it anyway.

He exited his room to see Temari, Kankuro and the blond girl from the bus in the living area. Kankuro was just in his boxers and the girl was frantically trying to button up her shirt while trying to keep her undone skirt from falling off her hips.

_"Pathetic" _Was the only word Gaara could think of to describe this scene. Kankuro and the girl looked over at him when he entered the room. When she saw him, the girl stopped half way through buttoning her shirt and went to the job of trying to zip up her skirt.

"Hey, morning bro." Kankuro said nonchalantly.

Gaara just stared at him, not trying to find his feelings of disgust. The girl finally finished dressing herself and turned towards Gaara.

"Ah, g-good morning, Gaara-sama!" She said brightly as she bowed deeply "It's nice to see you."

Gaara knew he had heard her voice before, but was still far too groggy to try and remember who she was. Thankfully, Temari could tell this and saved him from the guess work.

"Gaara, you remember Ino Yamanaka, right?" She said, not sounded pleased with the situation either.

"Oh yes, Ino." He said, vaguely remembering her.

"Well, I believe I should be going now." She said as she backed towards the door.

She then looked over at Kankuro with a flirty look and said "I'll see you later."

"You bet babe." He said with a smirk.

She then left, and the moment Temari heard the lock click she slapped Kankuro across the face. He nearly fell over from the force, but kept his balance.

"Ahhh! Fuck! What the hell was that for?"

"Are you fucking retarded? You know Ino is still with Shikamaru! And you know she's only with his to get back at me! How dare you bring that whore in her and not only did you let her cheat on Shika, you let her get away with it!"

"How the hell was I suppose to know she wasn't single?"

"Don't gimme that shit! You'd know if she was single cause Shikamaru would be with me right now! I swear to god if you see that tramp again I wil-"

"WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP!" Gaara yelled.

Temari and Kankuro froze and stared at him wide eyed. After a few long moments Gaara signed.

"Thanks to you, Temari, I have a terrible headache. If the both of you could just shut up for 20 minutes till my meds kick in it would be much appreciated. If you can not keep yourselves quiet for that time you both know I would have no problem make you both be quiet, for good."

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other then turned to their room and shut the door. Gaara returned to his room and layed back down on the bed. The sun was bright; feeling to lazy to go over and close the curtain, he just put a pillow over his head.

Gaara wasn't sure how much time had passed, but his head had stopped pounding so he figured he would go see what Temari had planned for the day. He got up and went into the main room. Temari was sitting on the couch reading some girl magazine and Kankuro was sitting in the chair, clothed now, staring out the window. No one moved when he entered the room so he figured he had to break the silence.

"So, Temari, what crap did you have planned for today."

"I planned for us to meet up with some friends, though, I really don't wanna do that now since Kankuro just slept with the one of the people we were suppose to meet." Temari said without looking up from her magazine.

Kankuro shot her a glare but stayed quiet. Gaara sighed, he may be the youngest, but he was far more mature then the two of them.

"Who else are we suppose to meet?" He asked

"The whore was coming with Shikamaru and Tenten said she may meet up with us if her and Neji can get away from training early. I tried contacting Naruto, but he's off on some training thing for a while. But Sakura said she'd come if she could get off work early."

"Sakura? That was the pink haired girl right?" Kankuro asked "I remember her. I wonder if she's developed by now."

"Oh my fucking- . . . Let me know when you grow the hell up!" Temari said as she got up and went to her room.

Gaara glared at Kankuro and followed Temari into her room. After some time, Gaara was able to calm her back down and convince her to still go and meet the others. He left her room so she could finish getting ready. He saw Kankuro was still where he had left him in the chair. Gaara walked past him and into his room to make sure he looked okay.

Finally, once everyone was ready, they headed out. Temari was wearing a baggy-ish, purple and white striped shirt, and a short black skirt. Kankuro was in a plain black dress shirt and ripped blue jeans. In order to make it harder for the paparazzi to spot them, Temari had taken her hair out of their normal pig tails and Kankuro had left his face unpainted. Gaara didn't bother to do anything about his appearance. He just stayed in the same thing he put on that morning, grabbed his bag (**Bag**, not purse. He has an over the shoulder **bag**.) and followed his siblings out the door.

Luckily, because it was afternoon, the streets were busy, so they slipped out of the hotel and into the crowds without being noticed. They made it to the ramen shop to see Ino, Shikamaru, Tenten and Neji waiting for them.

"TEMARRRIII!" Tenten yelled when she spotted them.

"TENTEENNNNN!" Temari yelled back as she ran up to her.

They wrapped their arms around each other and jumped up and down squealing. Shika and Neji gave the girls a look that said they were already annoyed with this visit and wanted to go home. Ino got up and greeted Kankuro with a hug that lasted a bit longer than it should of. She then tried to greet Gaara but he turned his back to her and said hello to the others.

Once all the hellos were out of the way the group sat down and orders ramen while talking and catching up with one another. After a while everyone started grouping off and sticking to one-on-one conversations. Temari was flirting with Shikamaru, normally, Gaara would of given her a glare, but since Shika's woman was practically sitting in Kankuro's lap he didn't care. Tenten and Neji was talking and holding hand under the table, completely sectioning themselves off the rest. Which left Gaara sitting by himself with no one to talk to. He was always the 3rd wheel in these situations, he was about to put out his book when there was a yell from off in the distance. All the young ninja's turned around to see some people with cameras closing in on the ramen shop.

"Shit! They found us!" Temari yelled.

She quickly threw some money down on the table for the food and grabbed her purse.

"I'm sorry guys, we need to get outta here. Thanks for meeting us though!"

Kankuro had quickly separated himself from Ino, not wanting the cameras to capture a picture of him with her. Gaara, though he usually didn't mind the cameras quickly grabbed his bag, not wanting their friends to start getting stalked by the reporters as well. The 3 left the ramen shop and quickly went into the heart of the crowd, but the reported were right on them.

"We're gonna have to split up. Remember our rules, don't do anything too stupid to get away from them and do not answer any questions." Temari said.

The siblings then ran off in different directions, the reporters split up as well, most of them followed after Gaara though. Gaara quickly moved through the crowd making distance between him and the cameras. He then slipped into an alley way and opened his bag. He pulled out a dark colored cloak and put it on. He stepped back into the streets, happy to see his disguise had fooled the reporters. He smirked and continued walking down the street.

Gaara's happiness was short lived though, because he now realized he had ran into a part of the village he didn't know. So he just kept walking and walking till he found himself on a trail in the woods. The sun was starting to set, so he was begin to worry a little about being able to find his way back to the hotel. The trail then opened up to a small clearing. By the looked of it, it appeared to be some sort of training ground. He was about to turn around when he heard a grunt. He scanned over the field again to see a men at the other side of it.

The man was punching at a post, counting the number out loud.

"217! 218! 219! 220! 221! 222! 223! 224 . . ."

The man, or boy, he seemed young, had short black hair and was very well built. Strong arms, nice tone legs, and thanks to the heat, the boy had taken off his shirt. Gaara felt himself blush a little at the sight of his perfectly formed abs glistening from sweat in the light. Gaara felt like he had just walked into his love novel _"Love: The Fight of Your Life". _He could see the scene, young, widowed Risa had been walking in the wood. She always went to the woods when she thought about her dead husband. But that day, something happened, she took the wrong path and found herself lost. Thankfully the future man of her dreams found her and came to her rescue.

The black haired boy stopped mid-punch when he saw a hooded figure in the corner of his eye. He looked at the person, unable to identify them. He then turned towards the figure and got in a fight stance, ready for anything.

"Hey!" He yelled across the clearing "What is the meaning of you interrupting my training?"

Gaara snapped back to reality when he heard the boy yell. He noticed his stance and realized he had to choose his next few words carefully.

"Relax." Gaara yelled back "I'm not here for a fight. I just lost my way and wound up here. I didn't mean to disturb you."

The boy remained in his stance, not ready to believe the excuse.

"Who are you? Please, remove your hood!" The boy responded.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." Gaara said

"Why not? What are you hiding?"

The boy then lunged forward, clearing the space between them in a second. He jumped up and went to give the hooded figure a kick to the side of the face when he was stopped by a wall of sand. The boy bounced off the sand and landed a few feet away in a crouching position. A moment later he launched himself forward and went to punch the hooded man in the gut. Yet again he was stopped by a wall of sand, but this time in sucked his fist into in. The boys eyes widened as he realized his hand was stuck.

_"Sand, he is using sand as a defense?"_ The boy thought

_"Those attacks, he performed them all with such speed." _Gaara thought

_"I only know of one ninja to uses sand . . ." _

_ "There is only one person who can move like that."_

The wind then blew hard and knocked the hood off, Gaara looked down at the boy as he looked up at him. They met each others gaze, shocking filling both their faces as they recognized one another.

**

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Yes! Lee has finally made his appearance!**

**And looking sexy as fuck. (Drools)**

**Now we can finally start getting to the main point of this story, LeexGaa lovin' xD**

**Sorry about all the filler crap, but I had to get Gaara to the training grounds somehow!**

**Oh, and if you're confused, the whole beginning was a dream Gaara's having. Yes, he is dreaming he is a woman from one of his love novels.**

**And god, I want that dress I described . . .  
**

**(Review please!)**


	4. Breathe

**I'm baaack~**

**Yes, after so long, I have updated!**

**I'm so sorry about the wait. When I was writing this story, I had a break up and lost my wanting to write a love story. The just life and all got in the way. **

**But, I've recently gotten back into my Naruto fandom and got some writing mojo back!**

**So here it is, after the long wait, chapter 4, enjoy :)**

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_"I only know of one ninja to use sand . . ."_

_"There is only one person who can move like that."_

The wind then blew hard and knocked the hood off, Gaara looked down at the boy as he looked up at him. They met each others gaze, shocking filling both their faces as they recognized one another.

There was a long silence as the two ninjas stared at each other. Memories of all their past encounters filled their minds. Gaara, found it slightly ironic they were reuniting in a fight rather similar to the first fight they had. But, given what followed in said fight, he figured he maybe shouldn't mention it. Nor should he keep the boy trapped here for much longer.

The sand started to crumble and slide away from the boy's fist. Once freed, he stood, their silence still holding, now becoming awkward. Gaara, though he didn't really want to speak first, remembered that this boy was far to formal to address him first, especially given his status.

"Hello... Rock Lee." Gaara finally said.

"Gaara-sama..." the boy then quickly stepped back and dropped down into a deep bow " It is an honor to see you Gaara-sama! My greatest apologies for earlier!"

Gaara sighed, he hated being called 'sama'. It wasn't so bad when kids called him it, since they called most people they knew that, but when people his age and older did, it made him feel uncomfortable. He motioned with his hand for Lee to stand back up, for he hated when people bowed to him almost as much. Lee jerked back to an upright position and then stood very straight and ridged, making himself even taller than Gaara.

"You don't need to be so tense." Gaara said

"My apologies, Gaara-sama." Lee replied, his body not relaxing at all.

He sighed again, knowing that Lee wasn't letting up anytime soon. So he just pushed the fact aside and decided to ask for his assistance.

"Listen, Rock Lee, I ended up out here because I lost my way. If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind helping me find my way back?"

"Oh! It would not be any trouble in the slightest, Gaara-sama! I would be honored to escort you anywhere you need to go, Gaara-sama! Please, just allow me to grab my things and I shall lead the way, Gaara-sama!"

Lee hurried back over to where he was training and Gaara bit his lip. Way too many 'sama' s in a row. But, he was going to be helped, so no sense complaining about it. Lee returned quickly with a small bag and what Gaara assumed was his shirt in his hand. Which reminded Gaara that Lee was shirtless and he look much better up-close than from a distance. Lee must have noticed Gaara's eyes staring and turned red.

"My apologies for my appearance, Gaara-sama! It gets hot when I am training. If it makes you uncomfortable I can put my shirt back on, Gaara-sama."

"It's fine, Rock Lee. I do not mind. And relax, there's no need to be so formal with me."

"I am sorry, Gaara-sama. Now, allow me to lead the way. The village is not far, but the trails can be confusing to one who is unfamiliar with them. So, stay close and be watchful of where you step, you do not wish to trip."

Gaara nodded and they started on their way. The trails Lee took wounded around in all directions, no wonder he got lost. Though, there was very little vegetation where he lived, even if all these trails were marked he probably would of gotten thrown off.

After some time in silence, Lee finally spoke up.

"So, Gaara-sama, what brings you to Konoha this evening?"

"I actually arrived here yesterday afternoon. My siblings planned a little vacation to get me away from work for a week."

"Oh, well that was quite nice off..." Lee trailed off, obviously having forgotten Gaara's siblings names.

"Temari and Kankuro."

"Ah yes! That was quite nice of Temari and Kankuro to plan a vacation for you! Are you enjoying it so far?"

"It's alright."

Honestly, Gaara had yet to enjoy his time here. The press following them, his siblings bickering, it was no different from home life. Right now was the first time Gaara actually felt some form of relaxation. The woods were quite, the setting sun left the world in a pleasant orange glow and being in the presence of a shirtless man certainly helped. Though, Lee was still much to uptight around him. But, with him being so tense, it allowed Gaara to see just how muscular Lee really was. All the training the boy has done through the years has certainly been paying off.

"Ahh, well, what do you have planned to do tomorrow, Gaara-sama?" Lee asked

"I'm not sure. Temari did not inform me of today's plans till this morning."

"Oh..."

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking that maybe tomorrow, if you were free, I could take you on a tour of the village. It has been a long time since your last visit and if you plan to be here awhile, a refresher of your surroundings may be helpful, Gaara-sama."

Gaara thought this over a moment. It would be helpful to know the layout of the village so he didn't get lost again. Plus, anything Temari has planed would probably bore him to no end. Not to mention, getting to spend some time with Rock Lee would be a nice change. The two hadn't talked much in the past few years and Temari was always on his ass about making friends. Perhaps this would be good.

"That sounds like a nice idea." Gaara finally said.

"Alright! It is a plan then! Tomorrow, let us say, 10 o'clock? I will arrive at where you are staying and escort you around the village."

"10 o'clock sounds good."

With the plans made, the two fell back into silence. After a little more walking, the trail finally opened up to a road. Lee put his shirt back on and they worked their way down the street. Gaara did his best to describe the hotel he was at, stupidly forgetting it's name. Somehow, Lee actually managed to find it from his vague description. When they approached the front doors Temari and Kankuro came running out.

"Oh thank god your back!" Temari said, forcing him into a hug "I was so worried! I shouldn't of had us split-up. Kankuro and I are familiar with the village because we come here often to represent you. But you haven't been here in ages! I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright, Temari. I'm fine. I ran into Rock Lee here and he helped me find my way back."

Temari broke off the hug and looked over at Lee, not realizing there was someone else there.

"Oh, well thank you very much Lee. I appreciate your kindness."

"No need to thank me." Lee said, dropping down to give her a bow "It was my pleasure to help Gaara-sama."

A small silence fell over the group now.

"Well, thank you again, Lee. I won't keep you any longer from returning home." Gaara said

"Alright, Gaara-sama. I shall see you tomorrow morning, correct?"

"Yes, 10 o'clock."

"Okay! Have a good evening, Gaara-sama. You as well Temari-sama and Kankuro-sama. Goodbye."

They then parted ways, Lee continuing down the road and the Sand Siblings returning to their hotel room.

"Temari-sama... I don't get called that often." Temari said once they were in their room.

"Yeah, Kankuro-sama... that sounds weird." Kankuro added

"Rock Lee is just very formal with people of higher ranks."

"Well yeah, I figured. But calling us sama? I understand you, but us?" Kankuro questioned.

Gaara simply shrugged and the issue dropped.

"So, Gaara, what's happening at 10 o'clock?" Temari asked

"Rock Lee offered to take me on a tour of the village tomorrow."

"I see, do you want Kankuro and I to come along?"

"I think I will be alright, besides, you guys probably already have plans."

"I do, but I don't believe Kankuro doe-"

Temari was cut off by a knock on the door. Kankuro quickly ran into his room and them came back out in a different shirt and smelling of his cologne.

"My plans are at the door, see you later guys!" Kankuro said as he headed out.

He slipped out quickly, but they managed to get a glimpse of blond hair before the door shut.

"Ino, ugh. Figures." Temari said, disgusted.

She retreated to her room and Garra went to his. He locked his door this time, to be sure he didn't have another rude awakening in the morning. He changed into more comfortable clothes and got into bed with a book. After a few chapters, he drifted off to sleep, book in hand.

He started to have the same dream as last night, only this time, instead of Riku, it was Rock Lee who met him under the stars.

* * *

**So, what did you think? Worth the wait (Ye- no.)**

**Hope you all enjoyed!**

**Please review/comment!**


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